I have 1 week to decide before my new baby arrives and then
Hello - i REALLY need advise please 
!!!!!!.
Have been researching what hi-fi / online for 5months for a completely new separates set-up - as a gift to myself for thew birth of our 2nd child now due in 1 week - and unless i get this sorted in the next 5 days this will be sure to go on the back burner for 2yrs!!!!
My last system was a Denon/Mission combo which i bought in 1989 - I still have the same speakers in my office with an newly purchased Denon M39 which still sounds great. As you can see once I purchase i stick for a long time and therefore would like a decent set up at home
What i was delighted to see was in the Jan what hi fi the 3000k system was pretty much what I had decided on; Audiolab 8200CD - £800, Heed obelisk si - £1290, Kef Ls50 - £800, Cambridge audio stream magic 6 - £700
Its a lot of money, a lot of kit, impossible to find anywhere to trial together (have been looking for a month) - but the endorsements give me confidence to just go for it
But then there was a small thought whether it might be just better and simpler to go for the NAIM AUDIO UNITI2 - £2795 + Kef Ls50 - £800.
So advice please;
Which one would you go for on sound? Is there much difference?
Does it matter if I would order all online as I cant get the 1st option from one source
As I am an idiot on set up - can i do this myself, what cables etc would i need - or should i get someone in to do it and if so how if noone sells all this kit
NB: remembering in 1 weeks time I will be out of action and i just need te ability to occassionally close the door, shut my eyes and head off to a different pace for 10mins !
many many thanks J
Both systems will sound excellent, and the Naim/KEF combo has the added advantage of being more compact as it's an all-in-one unit. However, the separates system gives you more flexibility, especially as the Audiolab acts as a DAC (and a very good one) for other digital devices, and makes it easier to upgrade at a later date. Think of the Audiolab as a DAC with a built-in CD drive, rather than the other way round.
You should be able to set up both systems yourself provided you get all the necessary interconnect and speaker cables. Check out our Award winners for some suggestions.
See, if it was me – and fortunately, given my aversion to anything small and mewling, it isn't! – I'd go for the Naim UnitiLite and the KEFs.
The UnitiLite is dangerously close to the NU2 in performance terms, has five digital inputs and two analogue for future system expansion, and, IMHO at least, is much better value.
And it might be worth considering some other speakers: perhaps a pair of PMC DB1is or, if you could accomadate floorstanders (and given that the KEFs will need to be used on stands, you probably can), even the Neat Motive 2s. You could probably pick up an ex-dem pair of the Neats, which will be nicely run-in, for about the same price as the KEFs and a decent pair of stands. Or a pair of PMC's GB1s, again ex-dem, for around £1200-£1300.
By the way, it's unlikely you'll be able to buy at least some of the stuff you're considering online: not sure that Naim's too hot on mail-order, for example...
Considering your budget, your time-constraints and your circumstances, someone's bound to come along and suggest one obvious option you haven't considered, which is a digital streaming device (streamer/computer etc) linked to a good pair of active speakers.
But thank goodness they haven't 
1st time posting on a site and cant believe the speed and number of replies - REALLY appreciate it thank you.
Not sure if i am closer to a decison though with 120hrs to go...
Would i be right to say the experts opion is split.... i guess that could be a good thing and they are both good options...?
So can i phrase it like this - if you were me and you were about to part with c.3-3.5k remembering this system is from scratch + to be as future proof as poss for about a decade - what would you buy
many thanks again
I'm not a parent (thank god for that one), but I have nieces & nephews and if there's one thing my poor unfortunate relatives rely on more than anything when there are young kids around, it's headphones.
Firstly, it stops them whingeing when you're listening to music you like. Secondly, it isolates you from Sky+ recordings of 'Gangnam Style' on endless repeat....
Naim UnitiLite/ Neat Motive 2s/a decent NAS (ie reliable, quiet) to stream from.
Will both systems work as well with headphones - reading a lot that its not as simple as just plugging in and it all sounds great....
My choice:
http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_NAI_UNITILITE_TAN_REVDC6TSE_ST_&...
Not sure if you can get a Unitilite in time, but good luck.
Baby + 1 year or so = toddler.
Toddler + stand mounted speakers = oops!
Maybe give some consideration to speakers that can be wall bracket/shelf mounted for some of those 10 years without too much detriment to sound quality.
(It is my experience that mums with toddlers like to invite lots of other mums - with their toddlers - around for play mornings and suchlike.)
I'd buy an iPod and some decent headphones, no way you're listening to any music for the next five years...
Or UnitiLite and DB1is. I havent heard the Lite but am going to assume it sounds the same as the mk1 Uniti did with the PMCs before they upped the power - that is to say, fantastic.
My choice:
http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_NAI_UNITILITE_TAN_REVDC6TSE_ST_&...
Not sure if you can get a Unitilite in time, but good luck.
Bloody hell there are some good deals there. And the Neat Iotas would go on a bookshelf...
Naim UnitiLite/ Neat Motive 2s/a decent NAS (ie reliable, quiet) to stream from.
www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_NAI_UNITILITE_NEA_MOTIVE2_&CAT=STSYS&ID...
Have been researching what hi-fi / online for 5months for a completely new separates set-up - as a gift to myself for thew birth of our 2nd child now due in 1 week - and unless i get this sorted in the next 5 days this will be sure to go on the back burner for 2yrs!!!!
Marantz M-CR603 + AirPlay • Rega R3 loudspeakers • iPhone 5 32GB • iMac • Apple Airport Extreme 802.11n • Apple iPad Mini • Panasonic TX-L32D25B • Sony BDP-S390 • Ruark Audio R1 Deluxe • Humax HDR-Fox T2